


Strategy

by hawksonfire



Series: Clint Barton Bingo 2019 [5]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Awesome Jarvis (Iron Man movies), Bisexual Bucky Barnes, Bucky Barnes Bingo, Clint Barton & Natasha Romanov Friendship, Clint Barton Bingo, Jarvis (Iron Man movies) is a Good Bro, M/M, Natasha Romanov knows something Steve doesnt know, POV Steve Rogers, Sassy Jarvis, Secret Relationship (kinda), Steve Rogers Is a Good Bro, Steve Rogers is a little shit, Steve may be smart but hes actually a moron, i think it fits, jarvis is so tired, let my poor AI baby sleep, of course she does
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-07
Updated: 2019-04-07
Packaged: 2020-01-06 02:20:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,767
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18378956
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hawksonfire/pseuds/hawksonfire
Summary: Steve just wants Bucky to be happy. And if that means locking him in a closet to make him tell Clint how he feels, then so be it.





	Strategy

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Clint Barton Bingo I5 - Clint/Bucky.  
> Also Written for Bucky Barnes Bingo Y4 - Secret Relationship.
> 
> Un-beta'd. Hope y'all enjoy!

**Steve**

It’s not like Steve started off wanting to get Clint and Bucky together. Honest, he didn’t. He started off wanting them to be friends because they had similar history and he thought they would get along. He was not expecting the endless pranks and shooting competitions but figured he could take one for the team if it meant Bucky was happy.

And he was happy. Steve had never seen him smile this much, even before everything. Clint made Bucky laugh almost as much as Steve did, and there wasn’t the added pressure of trying to be the man that Steve remembered.

Contrary to popular opinion, Steve was not an idiot. He was aware that he had somewhat unrealistic expectations regarding Bucky’s recovery at first. But then Sam smacked some sense into him, and he realized that Bucky would never be the man he was, and that was okay. After all, Steve wasn’t who Bucky used to know anymore either, was he?

And despite Bucky’s insistence to the contrary, neither was Steve oblivious. He was perfectly capable of understanding when someone was flirting with him, he was just garbage at reciprocating. He had always been a terrible flirt – and not in the good way – and the serum certainly hadn’t fixed that.

So Steve noticed when Bucky started letting his touches linger whenever Clint was around, and he noticed Clint’s efforts to pretend that he didn’t notice it. After a month or so of the two of them dancing around each other and their respective feelings, Steve had had enough.

“I want to get Bucky and Clint together,” he said abruptly one day. Bucky and Clint were out of the tower doing something in Bed-Stuy and the rest of the team was gathered in the common room watching a movie.

“I’m in,” Tony said, grinning. “It is my tower, and I’m sure J is tired of listening to me bitch about those two and their obliviousness.”

“I could never be tired of listening to you, Sir, but if I may -”

“Nope, you may not. You can’t talk me out of this, I’m doing it.” Tony says, determined.

“Nope,” Sam says, “I’m out.”

“But Sam -” Steve tries.

“No, Steve. It is so totally unwise to meddle in their love lives. They’ll tell each other when they’re ready or they won’t, it’s not up to us.” Sam leans back in his chair, piece said.

“Fine, you’re out. But you can’t say anything.” Steve is not above using his All-American Eyes of Pleading to get his way, and he knows Sam isn’t immune to them.

“That’s not fair,” Sam says, struggling to hold fast. “Fine!” He throws his hands up in the air, exasperated. “But I reserve the right to tell you I told you so when this blows up in your face.”

“Sure,” Steve says easily. “But it won’t. Bruce, Nat, Thor?”

“Pass,” Bruce says, “I don’t like meddling.”

“I will have to agree with the Falcon on this, Steve,” Thor booms, “I find it is best not to meddle in affairs of the heart, regardless of intentions.”

Nat shrugs. “I’m in.” A sly smile pulls at her lips, “Besides, it’ll be fun to see how this ends.” Steve is pretty sure Natasha knows something they don’t, but when does she not?

“Great!” He claps his hands. “What should we do first?” Silence. “C’mon, guys, we need ideas!”

Sam groans. “If I were helping, I would say to make sure that they both actually have feelings for each other and that you are not grossly misreading the situation. But I’m not helping, so I won’t say that.” Sam gets off the couch and walks away.

Steve grins. “Thanks, Sam!”

“Don’t thank me, I didn’t help you! I want none of the credit when this blows up!”

“Pessimist,” Steve mumbles. “I’ll take Bucky, you take Clint?” He says, turning to Natasha. She nods.

“What about me?” Tony whines.

“Make a door that can withstand a punch from Bucky’s arm. At some point, I wanna lock them in a closet and we can’t have them busting out.” Steve says. Tony cackles and runs down to his lab to start brainstorming. The remaining members of the team go back to watching the movie, Steve included, but his mind is racing with ideas.

This’ll be good for Bucky, Steve decides. He’ll be happy with Clint.

~~~~~~

Three days later, Natasha comes up to him after a mission and says, “Clint definitely has feelings for Bucky. Was gushing about the way he stopped that bullet on the way back.”

Steve focuses on pulling his gloves from his hands. “I haven’t exactly gotten around to talking to Bucky yet, I think he’s been avoiding me.”

“Of course he’s been avoiding you, Steve,” Natasha says, “You stare at him every time he enters a room. It’s weird. Stop being weird.” She gives him a little shove. “Just ask the question and the way he responds will tell you how he feels.”

Steve nods absently. Bucky has just walked through the door and thrown an arm around Clint’s shoulders. “Hey, Buck, wait up a sec! Got a question for you.”

Bucky nods and walks towards him, leaving Clint waiting by the door. “This ain’t gonna take long, right Stevie? Me ‘n’ Clint got plans to try a new ice cream place that just opened up.”

Steve rubs a hand over his neck. “About Clint… Do you have feelings for him?”

Bucky chokes on air and stares at Steve like he’s an idiot. “Of  _ course _ I have feelings for him, you moron. Why do you think I spend so much time with him?”

“Oh okay, thanks, Buck. Have fun with ice cream!” Steve grins. He shoves Bucky back towards Clint and continues grinning and waving until Bucky leaves.

“Perfectly executed,” Natasha says dryly. “I’m sure he doesn’t suspect a thing.”

~~~~~~

Steve is… frustrated. He’s done everything short of locking Bucky and Clint in a closet to make them confess their feelings for each other - examples include leaving a love note for Clint supposedly from Bucky confessing his feelings (he was very confused when Clint thanked Bucky for the love letter and Bucky just responded with ‘anytime’), purposefully making sure that Bucky was stationed with Clint on missions, and even leaving them alone in the showers together after that mission.

Nothing works. Steve decides it’s time to resort to drastic measures. “Hey, Tony,” he says as he walks into the lab, “You ever finish that Bucky-proof door I asked you about?”

“Spangles, that was done the morning after,” Tony scoffs, looking up from whatever it is he’s doing. He gestures over to a slab of metal leaning against a wall. Steve examines it closely. 

“This looks like a regular door, Tony,” Steve sighs.

“Of course it does. Do you want me to put a flashing sign on it that says ‘hey look at me I’m Barnes-proof’?”

Steve rolls his eyes. “No, it’s fine Tony. Thanks.” Tony waves a hand and goes back to his - thing. Steve picks up the door and leaves the lab, maneuvering through the doorway so he doesn’t hit the wall.

(He doesn’t notice the choking noise Tony makes when he picks up the door, and he certainly doesn’t notice when Tony asks JARVIS if he recorded that.)   
~~~~~~

“Hey, Buck?” Steve asks innocently one day.

“What.”

“Can you grab me some paper towel from the supply closet outside? I don’t have any.”

“For fuck’s sake Steve, why can’t you do it yourself.”

“Well, see Buck, I would, but I’ve got the shits and -”

“Alright, alright, fuck,” Bucky grumbles his way out of Steve’s apartment and Steve grins.

“JARVIS, can you let me know when Bucky’s in the closet? Clint’s already there, right?”

“Yes, Captain Rogers,” JARVIS says, “Agent Romanoff completed her portion and got him into the closet. But, Captain, if I may?”

“JARVIS, I really don’t want to hear how this isn’t going to work. It will work. It has to.” Steve says stubbornly.

JARVIS sighs. “Very well. I shall keep you informed. Sergeant Barnes has entered the closet.” Steve grins. This will go well.

~~~~~~

It does not go well. Approximately seven minutes later, Bucky storms into the apartment and throws a pillow at Steve. It hits him in the face. “Ouch, Buck, what the hell?”

“You fucking deserved that, you asshole,” Bucky hisses furiously. “You locked me in an enclosed space that I  _ could not get out of _ ! What the fuck were you thinking!” Steve’s face drops and he fumbles for an answer. “Yeah, that’s what I thought,” Bucky scoffs. “You weren’t thinking, as per fucking usual.” He turns around and stomps out of the apartment, leaving Steve shocked behind him.

“JARVIS?” Steve asks.

“Yes, Captain Rogers?”

“What just happened?”

“I believe that was something called ‘consequences’. They’re what comes after you do something that is ill-advised.” JARVIS certainly is Tony’s son, with that snark.

“How do I fix it?”

“The first step would be to apologize, I believe.”

Steve marches into the kitchen the next morning and apologizes to Bucky, who rolls his eyes and says, “I know you mean well, punk, but stop fucking with my life. I like things the way they are.” Steve agrees to stop meddling, and Bucky makes him pancakes.

Afterwards, Steve goes back to his room and promptly starts brainstorming ideas on how to get Bucky and Clint together that don’t involve triggering either one of them.

~~~~~~

“You think he’ll ever figure it out?” Clint asks Bucky, laying his head on Bucky’s naked chest.

Bucky runs his hand through Clint’s hair, enjoying the way the silky strands feel on his fingers. “Captain America may have been World War Two’s greatest strategist, but Steve’s a moron,” Bucky grins, “He’ll get there, but we may have to fuck in front of him to prove that we’re together and not just trying to make him back off.”

Clint props himself up on top of Bucky. With wide eyes, he says, “We can’t fuck in front of Captain America, Buck, that’s like treason or something, isn’t it?”

“Fuck you,” Bucky scoffs. 

Clint grins. “Well, I’m tryin’, but you keep distracting me.” Bucky grins and pulls him into a soft kiss, pulling away after a few seconds - much to Clint’s disappointment. 

“I love you, Clint Barton,” Bucky says. 

Clint grins. “I love you, Bucky Barnes.” The two men kiss again, and for a few moments, with the sun shining through the window of their shared apartment and Dog Cops playing softly in the background, both men can honestly say that they’ve never been happier.

**Author's Note:**

> I love Steve, okay, I do. But the guy's a moron.


End file.
